Aika no LOVE SONG
by JuniperScaymoore
Summary: Aika's Love Song. An Itachi X OC fanfiction. What happens in Itachi's past to leave him so indebted to a girl? Oneshot.


**Disclaimer- I do not own nor influence Naruto in any way- if I did, Sasuke wouldn't be such a son of a b*tch and Orochimaru wouldn't be such a pedo and Itachi wouldn't be so freaking dead. Mass murderer, yes, dead, I don't think so. Plus, I can't draw to save my life.**

**Summary- Inspired by Taylor Swift's song, ****Mary's Song (Oh My My My)****. Part one of a two-part oneshot (O.o What a confusing statement) Meeting Uchiha Itachi was part of my plan… A little love along the way was just a bonus.**

**An ItachiXOC Oneshot with the mission to bring some true romance to the purpose-deprived Naruto Fandom.**

**Some cliché's intentionally used, but I tried very heard to beta this to the best of my ability. Flames are welcome, cursing isn't. Illiteracy isn't much appreciated either. Also, this is aimed towards emotional, romantic teens. *ahem* such as myself.**

**Enjoy! ~JuniperScaymoore**

He opened his eyes sharply, gazing upwards as he lay on his back. Awaken from his nap after the daily shinobi bore, he looked at the rustling leaves bending unnaturally from the wind. Uchiha Itachi was nine years old.

A small, dirty little blob poked its head out from the branches. Itachi identified it as a boy, younger than him, though his face was streaked with dirt.

"Hey, who are you?" The boy whispered. "You have really pretty eyes."

"What?" Itachi couldn't believe his ears. What kind of boy would say something like that?

"Oops, I mean, you're an Uchiha, obviously, but your eyes are really sparkly and you can't be a year older than me!"

"What are you talking about? You're young enough to be five, but I'm nine, making me four years older than you!" Itachi was outraged by the boy, but still, slightly amused. The Uchiha residence was never interesting, and all he was given to do each day was to do his own prodigal business. "Anyway, what's your business in asking me who I am? You have no manners; who are you anyway?"

"Kawada Akira, _seven_ years old. Side branch of the Kawada secret clan. Yoroshiku," The boy stuck out his tongue, then dared to ask a question- "Hey, can I come down?"

"Kawada clan. I have never heard of it before. I suppose you may, if you know how to come down without falling. Small for your age." Itachi pressed statement after statement while his mind poured with questions. Suddenly, the boy fell, then flipped and landed in perfect position. Straightening up, he brushed himself off and sat down.

"You underestimate me. However, I do not blame you. Father says that the rest of the clan takes after the main branch, and is soft and weak. You probably have heard of the Kawada family, however, most are not shinobi. We were the Hokage's secret force until a few generations ago, when the clan grew so weak and ignorant, it seems we are only normal people now." Akira closed his eyes. "Father also says it is important for us to remember out history, yet I think it is unimportant. Uchiha-san, what is your full name?"

"Uchiha Itachi, 'pride of the Uchiha Clan'." He could not resist bragging, and he felt like it would let the boy squirm at the knowledge of his superiority. The boy did the opposite-he _relaxed_. Itachi, annoyed to no end, lifted his head higher and said: "Kawada-san, you claim weakness in your clan, yet you showed skills even a normal ten-year old would struggle with. You lie."

"No!" The boy seemed outraged at the thought of dishonesty. "I said that _most_ of the clan is weak! My father is giving me special training. Uchiha-san, you said you were a prodigy, yet you should see my father! He-" Suddenly, he cut off. Taking deep breaths, he calmed himself down. "I have to go. My afternoon break is over." Jumping up, he disappeared into the bushy leaves in the tree.

Hello. My name is Kawada Aika, and I am part of the secret Kawada clan. I am the only child of my parents, and I am said to be a child prodigy. My father cares very well for me, though he is a bit harsh when we train. My mother is dead. However, I am still very privileged. Though I am only a side branch, I live with my cousin, the main branch's family. Today, I met someone interesting. His name was Uchiha Itachi-san. Of course, he doesn't know my real name. You see, even while I told him my familiy name, Kawada, as well as my family history, which I should not have done, I kept my secret name, Aika, from him. You see, no one is supposed to know that I am a girl. Yes, that is right, every day, I live under an alias, a false name. In fact, only three people know my secret. One teaches me everything I need to know about being a kunoichi-my father. The other I sleep with every night and tell all my secrets to-my best friend and cousin, Alice. The third is in heaven, looking down at me each day. I miss her deeply, and try my best to please her- my loving mother. Despite all that, I can feel it-I will tell my secret to one more person, and that person, whether he likes it or not, is Uchiha Itachi!

That night at dinner, I asked my father about the Kawada clan.

"Kawada? Oh, they are quite a large family, seems that they used to be shinobi, but now they aren't. They probably are one of the larger groups in the village, but haven't done anything memorable since generations ago. Anyway, why are you interested? Where did you hear from them?" My stony police officer father interrogated me with little interest, then proceeded to shovel down more rice.

"Nii-chan, play?" My adorable, if annoying three year old brother, Sasuke stared up at me. My big brother role was coming up again. My father didn't give a hoot, but my mother looked at me expectantly. How I hated those waiting eyes, like there was something I owed her. Yet, as eldest child, I did have an obligation to the family. Looking at the clock, I smiled at him.

"Sure Sasuke, just finish eating first." The poor little kid started swallowing his food down in chunks. I pat his head, pretending to care.

So, 8 o'clock, and no one is at the park, at least the fields anyway. Perfect, because after dinner is training-that is, if we have dinner, which we didn't. My father is loving, but absent minded. He forgets regularly to go shopping, and we cannot possibly rely on Alice's family all the time. So, its just been training, nonstop.

"Aika, pay attention! Now, practice concentrating your chakra on the ground…"

At 8:30 pm, when Mother finally deemed it all right to go outside, the sun has set and it is twilight hour. Bringing Sasuke to the kiddy park, where I know he won't even notice me slipping away, I go search for a place to train. When life is so boring, improving yourself so you won't become gray is a must. That's when I felt it. I wasn't sure what-it was more like something wasn't there. Scrambling up, glancing at my chubby brother, I left, ready to investigate.

"Aika, concentrate, let it spread, good, watch the web of chakra. Good, wait! Make it separate around us. Good. Okay, now… Expand!"

"**Tsuchi, Yochi, Daichi! Senjou Kakujou-Kyuuzou! Secret Technique-Kawa**da Ai…" Glancing around- I knew someone was there. Looking up at my father-he sighed.

"I suppose I've been working you too hard. Five minute recess, then we'll work on it again."

I scrambled off, not even saying thank you. I know he knows- if I did say thank you, he'd know something was wrong. Concentrating on the problem at hand- I know that no one was supposed to be here, since no one comes around here anymore-the abandoned park was only for shinobi that were training to blow things up. Which was what I going to do-blow the ground up. The new technique meant in a nutshell- **Land! Earth! Ground! Battleground expansion Explosion!** Not something the mundane would know about, it was a secret technique, designed by yours truly. My father was teaching me to control the chakra though. The last time I did it, well, that place was scheduled for demolition anyway-I… sped up the process.

Looking around, I immediately saw sparkling red eyes. Closing my own sight organs, I concentrated my chakra slowly around myself and towards the target.

"**Tsuchi-yochi, Daichi. Kyuuzou.**" I whispered into the cold air. Suddenly, the ground detonated in a whirling mass. However, I was careful to let only the marked paths explode. Now, I could clearly see the spy-Uchiha Itachi glared out at me through red-masked pupils.

"That wasn't the technique you used before, was it? I didn't manage to get all of it, all I could hear was the end," He sighed, then straightened up. "I did however, manage to get the smaller version. Why bother use three words when they all mean the same thing?"

Grinning impishly, I said: "Well, my chakra control level requires me to use all three words, to stabilize the power released. The way I say the words also affect it. However, what in the world are you doing here?"

Ignoring me, he examined the markings my chakra explosion created.

"Its too perfect-the lines made by the chakra was too exact to be any random detonation. Not to mention you had to have almost perfect chakra sense to see-no, think where the lines would be so you wouldn't hit yourself or I. That kind of chakra control is impossible-unless you have the Sharingan, or Byakkugan."

I cringed, because he hit the nail on the head-while we don't posses the Sharingan or the Byakkugan, we do have our own, less powerful bloodline limit. While I would have loved to stay and chat, I was starting to worry about my father. I had used up the allotted five minutes, and when it came to my training, he was very punctual. Sighing, I turned and glared at him, my hands at my hips.

"Look, I don't have time for this. We'll just have to talk about this later. Now, go away or something, my father will come and see you!"

Glaring back with the crimson eyes of his, he barked back.

"I don't take orders from a squirt like you, so don't boss me around like you are the king of the world!"

Rolling my eyes, I turned my voice down into a whisper. "Look, just go-hide in a bush or something. If my father sees y—"

"Aika, where are you? Your late, Aika!" My father had found me! I panicked-I shoved the protesting boy behind the nearest bush-and it took a while, too, since there wasn't a bush nearby! I'd blown them all up! I am so impossible some times. In any case, I found something to hide the crazed boy behind and ran.

"Here I am, Father!" Running, perhaps I could cover for my extended absence.

"Where were you? We need to get back to the chakra control. Why, we shouldn't dally! Try it again, please, Aika?" My father could be so dense sometimes. Which, of course, was lucky for me.

"All right, well, **Tsuchi, Yochi, Daichi! Sen**jou… Kakuj… Gomen, Outou-san, I just… don't have any energy left. I need to recharge." Wow, my father was probably shaking his head in amazment. No matter how down I was, no matter how beat up I got from training, I just kept going. I never once protested unless I was training with Alice-Even if her bloodline was stronger than mine, she didn't have enough stamina or diligence. Yet, now I was protesting from menial work- my chakra supply was endless-sometimes I even used it as normal energy when I didn't have enough energy from not eating-ever.

Back to the point. Puppy eyes accompanied a smile as I looked at him.

"Well sure honey, are you all right? I'm really sorry if I worked you too hard, just got to home now, drink some water, we can take the day off tomorrow if you want-I'm sorry, I've just been working too hard, I know its 11:15 now, and you've been working the whole week. Just take a break, okay?" My father anxiously looked at me. If it really hadn't been out of concern for me, I would have gotten sick just from listening to the speech he gave. However, I had to make it look somewhat real if I was going to get away with it. Rubbing my eyes, I nodded in the seven-year old way that was so appropriate for the time. Turning back, I looked for those older Sharingan eyes. I was disappointed though. All I could see through the heavy darkness was the back of a head, dashing away.

11:15? I was out for a while then, and Sasuke must be out of his mind! When I got to the park, I saw he wasn't-the little bugger probably fell asleep a few minutes after I left. However, my mother really was going to kill me! I don't think Akira was going to need that day off nearly as much as I was going to!

That night, I crept into the huge king-sized bed I shared with my cousin. I actually had a twin size of my own, but neither Alice nor I enjoyed spending the nights alone. Sighing, I tried to relax before-

"You've been gone for a week this time-why are you back so early? You usually stay much longer! Anyway, tell me everything! Did you find 'him' yet? I mean…" Alice popped up out of nowhere, as usual. For such a small being, whenever I came home she always managed to surprise me. Smiling, I replied to her questions.

"Yeah, I did! He is so strange though. Did you know he's two years older than us? Uchiha Itachi is an oddball. The reason I'm back so early-well, 'he' showed up at the park! I can not believe I forgot the park was close to the Uchiha complex. You know that new technique I was working on? The earth explosion jutsu? Well, I caught him trying to stare it down with the Sharingan! You said he mastered it at eight? So he could have copied it before I even got it down right! That isn't right, no matter what. So I use a simple version on him, right? Ugh, big mistake since he almost catches me on that! Honestly, nothing gets past that boy! My secret was almost revealed, and I want to tell it to him! It didn't help that _father_ kept calling me: 'Aika, Aika!' If he got me into the whole secret name thing, he should use it! Whatever. I am actually a bit tired now though…" My own bluff had convinced me! Still, while I was quite tired, I stayed up, talking to my very good friend and cousin.

The next day I actually decided to take my father up on his offer. Since it was a festival day in Konaha, I decided to go out. Donning one of Alice's kimonos- we are the same size, so I totally wear her clothes during festivals and such-I completely submitted to Alice's uncanny knack of dressing me up. When she was done, I actually looked my age and gender-and more. Thanks to Alice, I was _cute_! So I may be a prodigy and a hard worker that is totally dedicated to my shinobi/kunoichi work, but I am still a girl, and goodness, I like to act like a girl sometimes too! So, after I waited for my darling cousin, we set out, hand in hand like a pair of twins.

Walking out, I stepped lightly, envisioning myself as a beauty that everyone would envy and admire. A girl can dream they say, and I took it to heart. _'Ah, Aika, you look like a picture!' 'Aika! Come play with us!' 'Aika!' _'Aika!'

"Aika? Hello?" Alice shook me roughly yet gracefully to avoid the slobber down my mouth. Sure, a girl can dream, but with serious consequences. As Alice paused to browse through a shop's wares, I waved good-bye and headed off to see the one person I knew who wouldn't dare even think of having a nice time when he could be training-Uchiha Itachi. I wonder - would he recognize me as a girl?

Working hard always has a way of either paying off, or being interrupted. Lately, the later has been more apparent in my life. I was working on speed and silence-especially important in shinobi work-when a small girl walked into the clearing. I threw a shuriken at her before noticing who she was. However, she dodged it with effortless grace. Glaring, I threw a question out at her.

"State your name and position, for I know you are not a normal civilian."

The girl _laughed_, for goodness sake, and looked out at me with sharp blue eyes. She seemed familiar to me, yet I could not place it-I seemed to remember the same face twice…

"Kawada Aika, Yoroshiku! Seven years old. And you are-don't tell me-Uchiha Itachi, nine years old!" She laughed clearly, as if the whole thing was a game. At the age of seven, it probably was for her.

Suddenly, I was able to place her in my memory! "Kawada Aika? I seem to have met you yesterday night, at the park near the Uchiha complex. A kunoichi with innovative jutsu, it seems."

At this compliment, the girl _frowned_! I wondered if it was just her, or the female gender in general.

"Yes, you were there, but you cut into my training trying to memorize my 'innovative jutsu' with your Sharingan. Do not think you would get away with stealing my jutsu that I worked so hard on!" She folded her arms, staring angrily back at me. Folded arms were a sign of insecurity though, so I knew she was truly upset, not arrogant and egotistical.

The boy pressed statement after statement into the conversation, boring into my head like a drill, making me angrier and angrier. How dare he remind me of last night when he was copying me, memorizing my _special, secret jutsu!_ He was crossing the line when he tried to add my _novelty_ to his _library_ of tricks!

Taking deep breaths to calm myself down, I rationalized with myself-he was an elitist Uchiha prodigy. How would he know the difference? I looked up again, into the halfway-setting sun, towards the west. Gasping, I realized the time. At this point, I would have wasted my entire day off fraternizing with him. I prepared to leave, but remembered my purpose. As I left, I smiled again, speaking in a sharp, clear voice- "I like your eyes-they sparkle."

Where…. Had I heard that before? Raking my mind, I couldn't come up with anything. Going to sleep that night was certainly troublesome. Kawada Aika… I should remember that name.

"Hey," Itachi heard, as he meditated. Opening his eyes sharply, he looked around. A small bundle dropped out of the tree branches overhead and landed perfectly-a small child stared happily at him

"Show off," He muttered, but then took a closer look at the boy. Suddenly, an image connected in his head-

"Kawada Akira." The bland statement started the child, but he regained his calm composure. Sitting down next to Itachi, he proceeded to make conversation.

"My father has me training again, but he's being a bit cautious-I should have a good hour of break before he goes looking for me. What are you doing?"

"Meditation-I'm calming myself down." Stating the obvious probably made him relax, though he had never noticed it before. The child stared intently at his forehead protector, amazement on his face.

"Have you never seen one of these before?" Itachi lapsed out of his Indian-style pose and sat normally. Pulling it out in front of him, he held the protector out towards the child.

"No-What is it? I really like it. Perhaps I could get one someday!" The boy was staring so intently at the forehead protector that Itachi felt like he was burning lasers into it. However, he smiled. Teaching someone something could be a pain in the neck, but at that point in time he felt at peace with the world. Sadly, a smiling Itachi would bring the world out of peace, out of rotation, in fact. He frowned again once he noticed Akira's grimace on his face. Taking a deep breath, he decided just to teach.

"You mentioned that the Kawadas were a secret clan, so the probability of you getting one is slim, because you must go to ninja academy to get one. Once you do though, you are officially a _genin_, the lowest rank of ninja. You would be put into a squad of two teammates and one sensei-a _jounin_, the highest rank short of ANBU members. From there you would go on missions and earn money. Depending on your rank, you would get different levels of difficulty for missions. However, despite your rank, you will always carry the same forehead protector. The protector is a symbol of shinobi, but it is more than that. It upholds the honor you get for being a shinobi of whatever country you are from. Every country has their own symbol, Konohagaruke being the Fire country. There is also the Mist country, Water country, Sand country, and others." He pointed at his protector. "This is our symbol. Any self-respecting shinobi or kunoichi from this village would learn it well, for it is valuable in detecting allies."

Akira scoffed, "I appreciate the advice, but I don't exactly have any allies. I'm only seven, and have never done anything beyond training with my father." He got up, brushed himself off, and bowed to the boy across him. "Thank you for teaching me about these forehead protectors, but I must be going." With a bound, he was off.

The lecture was fun, but I left it off on a sour note. Itachi was right, as a Kawada nin, I would never be able to receive one of those protectors. I would never fit in to the normal world of shinobi and kunoichi that I yearned to be a part of for so long.

I still had a few minutes to kill, but instead, I went back to training. There was nothing to do besides it, and perhaps it would take my mind off of that business.

A few days later, I popped in on Itachi. This time however, he was in a deserted training ground. Luckily, my father had obsessed himself with days off-I now had Thursdays away from him. I would have some time to mess around with the prodigy of Konoha. The known prodigy anyways.

This time, he was furiously training on speed. I did notice, however, a change in pace, and turned in time to avoid the flurry of kunai that flew past me and burrowed into the tree where I was. Grinning at the presumed challenge, I disappeared into the air, speeding fast as I threw shuriken, the sharp, pointy stars of my choice at my target. I landed on the ground later, and started defending myself against jabs and sparks of hand on metal protectors. I spun and started hitting back, ducking, bobbing and weaving through trees-effectively making use of them as shields as I gouged my opponents weaknesses. Jumping up, I used a burst of chakra to make a 180 turn as I hammered where I presumed his weak spot was-the back of his head. However, he had turned as well, and once again, I found myself defending.

Five minutes later, we stopped. Itachi looked at me clearly for the first time and nodded his approval. I, however, had already gotten enough of him-defending all the time was not my method of choice. I preferred to weaken, then go in for the kill. Luckily, I had warmed up, so if we sparred again, I would be prepared.

"You aren't bad, at all, however you still have much to learn," The egotistical boy said. "Anticipate the move of the opponent." Yes, I knew all that already-my father often said the same thing. However, he needed to improve as well-I just didn't know what yet.

"Whatever…" I broke eye contact. The boy's eyes were a soft brown, but still unbearable to be caught in.

After quite a good spar, I sat down. I didn't often get to train against _jounin_, and Akira was a happy substitute- I got a chance to exercise a bit, but didn't quite go heavy-duty jutsu on him. I would save that for the challenge I was about to propose to him.

"Are you crazy? Today is my day off!" The squirt protested as I asked him. Raising an eyebrow, I silently asked again. However, after vehement protests, I spoke up once more.

"Kawada Akira, when will you show me your true potential? I have seen it once before and am eager to see it again." He looked truly surprised-for how was he to know? "Kawada Akira-or should I say, perhaps Kawada Aika? We met twice before under your alias, Aika, how could you forget?"

With a deep sigh, he looked straight at me. "While it is true I am Aika, it is not my alias. I am a girl, and Akira was merely a ruse to the outside world." Grinning, _she_ continued. "I am, however, surprised that it took you so long. But, now that you know, you must promise to keep this a secret-few know my existence as a shinobi, only four know my existence as a kunoichi."

"And who would those other four be by any chance?" I asked, curious. I wondered why it was such a big secret, then remembered her whole clan was a secret. Silently, I agreed to do keep this personal.

"My father, my mother, my cousin, and you, of course," She replied, thinking, then adding, "My mother isn't alive though, so I suppose only three count… but then, only two count, if we don't include you…"

As she pondered this quietly, I was quietly surprised. I had not known her maternal side of the family was missing. I wondered myself if I could give her mine. I certainly didn't need her.

"Anyway," She said, moving on, "I can't spar with you. Simpily because today is my day off, and besides, you would steal my jutsu. I know, that you mastered the Uchiha's bloodline ability, the Sharingan, a year before, when you were ten, so I wouldn't use a jutsu in front of you even if you begged me."

I snorted. I would never beg her for anything, but a compromise would suffice. Thinking it through, I turned up the new proposition-I would not use my Sharingan at all during the match. If I did, I would automatically forfeit. I didn't want to lose, so I wouldn't break this one at all. She knew this, and I knew that she would think it through once more. This time, I knew she wouldn't pass.

After careful consideration, she made her choice. "No."

I was shocked. Then, she grinned. "Got you there! Sure. I have your word you won't steal any of my jutsu, nor will you use your Sharigan, so it's a deal."

"_Manakou no Hiou. Hikari no Kaze!" _A bright flare filled the sky as I activated one of my oldest jutsu. I activated my bloodline limit-then off I went! Fire engulfed the training ground, searing down trees so fast, if the Uchiha hadn't been quick on his feet, he would have been burnt to death.

"**Tsuchi ground search!**" Closing my eyes, I let my chakra seep into the ground. Deep into the earth, I set up a grid allowing me to search and figure out wherever the Uchiha was. If he used his Sharingan, I would know by the increased strain on the infared figure I held in my mind. Now, to just find him.

Manakou no Hiou, my clan's pride and joy. At least, the ones who remember the old days. Needless to say, only my Father dwells in the past. The rest of the clan has forgotten, Uncle doesn't want to remember, and Alice and I both are only seven years old-what do you want us to do about it?

Anyway, Manakou no Hiou, Eye of Secrets, is a technique developed by my ancestors… I am do not fully understand it yet, but my father is explaining it. I've got the basics down though, and apparently, my bloodline analyzes jutsu (and apparently other bloodlines but I haven't quite grasped that bit yet), and figures out weaknesses. The only bad part is that when you don't use Manakou no Hiou, you still see strengths of the person. For example, if I looked at a Hyuuga, purple or blue sparks would appear around his or her body, because a Hyuuga uses pressure points to fight. Sparkles would appear on and around his/her eyes, because of the bloodline ability.

So now you understand my bloodline—henceforth the whole sparkles in his eyes, you know?

I sucked in a deep breath and opened my eyes. That fool had just sucked up a large portion of my chakra grid! He probably didn't even know what he was doing-just saw the chakra and took it. Cursing him beneath my breath, I yelled a quick improvisation- "**Tsuchi Ground Grid-Chakra sweep!**" Quickly, I repaired the grid, this time placing it lower under the ground, where he could not absorb it, and I could-with a bit more effort-still track him.

Wary of traps, I slinked along the invisible grid, my eyes sensing them with a glow-Itachi would have been able to see it, but he didn't hold his mighty Sharingan- It was just his skill verses mine. The added bonus of my own _kekke genkai_ would be his downfall-if he didn't break his promise and I found myself staring into blood red eyes.

This time, I cursed. Deeply. Not in a sense that you would think—I'm only seven! However, I decided to go full force-this guy deserved more credit than I gave him, since he discovered the best way to combat my Ground Grid. By simply placing clones along the grid, I would be unable to track him. Retaining my charka, I prepared for a full-scale battle. Not that I ever got that far.

What was that idiot girl thinking? Here I was, thinking she was maybe Chunnin-Jounin level, and she places a large amount of charka _into the ground!_ I didn't know what she was thinking, but if I had my Sharingan, that wouldn't have happened. Luckily for her I am true to my word, and didn't activate the bloodline I was so itching to use.

Enough was enough. I would end this, fast, and then gloat over her as she wept. In case she was stalking me, I made a few clones. Then, I slinked off to find her.

When I did, she was scowling deeply, setting in a crazed expression on her tiny face. She looked around, then right at me. She gasped, and fell backwards, as I sped up towards her face and tapped her forehead.

"You lose." I said. Those two words were effective enough. Then, I looked into her eyes. Instead of the sharp, focused blue in her eyes, a piercing color of violets and white. Slowly, it cleared up into sharp, lavender pupils. She blinked slowly, and then gasped.

"Oh! I forgot!" She quickly exclaimed and closed her eyes. After muttering something under her breath, she opened them again. Her large, blue, eyes stared back at me. Turning her head at a tilt, she congratulated me and walked away, like nothing strange had happened at all. Slowly, she looked back at me with a sophisticated grace I would not have associated with a seven year old. "I will be back, and I will be better."

I was still stunned when she left off of her harsh, yet gentle, remark.

_Two years into the future…_

"Haiiiii-ya!" A crash sounded nearby. Flinching, I looked sternly at my sheepish cousin.

"Alice, you don't need to do the sound effects. Once more from the top." She sighed, grumbling again, possibly on how cruel I was during the hour of training we had together.

Once again, I demonstrated charka punches. This was especially important to Alice because, as a pampered child (at nine, she still hadn't lost much baby fat….), since she had no arm strength. The lanky girl was better at running. In case you hadn't noticed, the Kawada ninja don't run. (Well, they forget, but that's not the same thing…)

Though my cousin and I were still inseparable, we each had personalities as different as the sun and the moon. Bright, cheery Alice loved painting, while the highlight of my day was the cool, yet passionate training time spent the moment after our shinobi lessons each day. You see, I hadn't forgotten my promise…

Slinking away after another painful hour of training, I glanced back at my cousin, who was grimacing through clenched teeth. Did I really cause her that much trouble? I myself shook out my hand. I had done the drill alongside her, though goodness _she_ didn't need to. I know! I'd put my shinobi skills to the test and find out about that fine guy, Uchiha Itachi she was rambling about two years ago! Everything would turn out great!

Occasionally, like times like this, my mind wandered to the person I faintly remembered. She rooted herself deeply in my mind, but her face and figure was hazy. This was unusual, to say the least, because of my excellent memory. However, her imprint was clear… I wondered if she really had improved, as she said she would.

I got my answer, in a way, pretty soon. I heard a thud, and a pretty girl who looked strikingly familiar pushed herself onto her feet, rubbing her head. If this really was Kawada-san, she had not improved at all-instead, she had gotten worse! Tentatively, I asked for her identity.

"Kawada-san?" I was surprised as she turned around, apparently oblivious to the fact that I was there. Unusual to say the least, I suppose.

"Yeah, that would be me, I'm a Kawada, who are you? Are you Uchiha-san?" Question after question lead me to believe that this nervous wreck in front of me was not the Kawada I was thinking of. One thing would make sure, and I supposed while she was here, I could get some information off of her.

"Aika-san, right?" She looked sharply at me, shaking her head as she denied the name. "Alice, that's my name." She offered the name up, expecting me to use it. Exactly as I had presumed, this girl was _not_ Kawada Aika. Even so, how did this Alice know my name, and why did she look so much like the girl I had last seen two years prior?

Looking up again, I saw that she was staring profoundly at me. Shaking it out, she started to explain before-

"Alice! Where have you been! You could have been hurt! Didn't your father tell you not to wander off to strange places? Especially here, this is the Uchiha district! They're all shinobi and kunoichi, you know that!" I looked to my side, finding a girl that looked exactly like Alice in front of me. She was scolding her family member quite harshly, repeatedly shaking her finger. Arms akimbo, the first girl replied coolly, implying that she should turn her gaze aside. As Aika complied, she gasped.

"Itachi-san, it's been awhile. I presume you've met my cousin, Alice?" Shaking her head, she continued. "I don't suppose you would have remembered me, but I'm Kawada Aika. No matters, I shall soon leave anyway, and take this nuisance away myself."

Years had humbled her, and she bowed, hen pivoted sharply, calling out to her cousin behind her.

"Alice, we should go. Come, you'll be late to your next class."

What had happened to the proud girl I met before?

After her last class, Alice sat on a branch, watching me train, complaining nonstop.

"I thought you'd _like_ it! How was I supposed to know you'd blow your top? Come on, talk!" She jumped into the air as I kicked a tree stump with an extra loud 'thump'.

"Right." I gritted my teeth as I spoke, punctuating my sentence with punches and kicks. "He's-dangerous and-" POW "Experienced compared to-" POW! "Your measly two years of training." This time, I jumped back myself. The tree stump had gone through. I moved on to another. "He completed the academy already-" PONK "When you haven't-" PONK "Even gone to see it before-" PONK… "Why is this tree making a different sound?"

In my anger, I used a massive charka punch, revealing a gooey center. The tree had rotted inside. I made a horrid face as my anger evaporated. Maggots fled in terror from the sun, rotten recesses inside the tree. The tree had died, rotting inside. Somewhere in myself, a hold evaporated as well, leaving me stunned. Alice poked me.

"Yoooo-hoooo! Is anyone in there?" Alice whistled a sharp tune to pull me out of my reverie. A merry tune put me back into high spirits. Alice always knew what to do to make me feel quaint and dainty instead of 'quiet and sulky', as she put it. I calmed down, walking back to Konoha for a good, steamy bath. Then, I pivoted and glared up into the trees.

"_Come down. Now. Whoever you may be, your presence has been detected. Stealth is no longer needed."_

Softly, my voice wafted upwards. I knew the person heard me, for moments later, steps sounded on the ground behind me. I made a 180 degree turn and froze.

I examined the girl in front of me. Shell-shocked, she seemed, out of anxiety. A few delayed seconds later, I heard a timid reply creep out of her.

"What… are you doing here?"

I swept my hands in wide expanse, claiming coolly, "This is Konoha forest, all who wish to may simply use it." Unfortunately, her response was sad, her face nodding slowly, willing to agree to anything I said.

Alice, the girl beside her, swept over to Aika's ear, whispering softly. This caused her to visibly calm down. I could see her shoulders move from a tense, uptight position to a more relaxed but still guarded position. Somehow, this too made me calm down. Perhaps because of a return to the more familiar memory of Aika I had held in my mind for so long. This, I knew, was foolish, because of course she would have changed. Two years… a long time to part with someone.

Wait. I stopped myself. Why was I so concerned about such a girl? She was just another fixation in my life, another character to add to my experiences. Why did I _care_? Why was I worried when she acted so strange, like I didn't recognize who she was? Perhaps… I had grown careless, soft, too used to the same things day by day. I remembered it was like this before, a monotonous cycle, then a ripple, affected by this one person… this girl, Kawada Aika.

Enough! I wouldn't be weighted down by useless emotions. Taking several deep breaths, inwardly, my screaming heart calmed down. But… since when… had Uchiha Itachi's heart… _my_ heart… ever screamed? This was so unusual I was shocked that the world hadn't begun to reverse its rotation. Shouldn't the world stop for my first experience in matters of the heart?

Alice giggled, staring pointedly at me. I glared, trying to get her to shush. If Itachi decided to attack, I would not be able to protect her for long. But then, I looked into his eyes, those eyes. Black, the darkest black, like a night with no moon. How long it was since I last looked into his eyes. The last time…. Was my dishonorable defeat to someone outside of my cla-no, my family. What clan is so weak to have but four nin? What clan, now so weak only one upholds shinobi tradition? No… the great and legendary Kawada Clan was now… now, merely a rich, obese, lazy family. I closed my eyes. Two years ago, I had vowed to return to the Uchiha complex, much stronger. I could not comply with that promise… not after the year after, when I truly opened my mind to the reality. No, my father could not shield me from the facts. I was never going to be a true shinobi, and because of my training… I was not going to be a true Kawada either. Where does one go, after she has been shot to pieces, no longer able to say exactly who she is? Like me… I…. No longer did I have a name, for Kawada was no longer mine. No longer… was I even sure of myself. No, no longer shinobi… no, never a kunoichi. Merely… vulnerable. So, I pretend. Under this ruse, this guise that I know who I am… I am Aika. I am strong.

Or am I?

She looked away from me, why? A silver tear dropped to the ground-or was it my imagination? Within seconds, such impossibilities melted away; her stately composure back and ready.

During this time, Alice began to look uncomfortable. It was reasonable, considering we had not spoken a single syllable since many minutes prior. I cleared my throat, awkward. Aika jumped up at the noise, unsure on her response, it seemed. Alice looked even more ill at ease. Keeping an eye on her, but my gaze on Aika, I carefully watched as she slipped away, mumbling quickly on a class she had to go to. Aika nodded slowly, then prepared to walk after her—

I grabbed her slender wrist. Silently, I froze, not knowing what I was doing. I had never touched anyone in such an offensive manner, at least not outside of my shinobi work, but now, I was grabbing the hand of a near stranger? Aika stiffened; I felt goose bumps rise on her skin. We both tensed up, and in a second, stayed suspended in the air. After that, we fell.

Immediately, I rolled over, landing on my back. As a reflex, I inwardly checked for injuries. Aika must have been doing so as well, but she was much faster. When I opened my eyes, glad that neither bruises nor bumps were on me, she had her large, brown eyes staring back at me. I was momentarily confused. Then, I remembered. Her adamant voice carried over a trio of birds, the only sound in the serene forest, clearly stating her uncomfortable position.

"Let… Go of me. I don't appreciate being grabbed," she said, and stood up. I noticed however that she didn't brush herself off, and was instead clutching her arm, about her wrist area. I opened my eyes clearly, astonished as I realized what I had done.

Kawada Aika walked away, blood streaming from her injury.

_Ahhh… _I calmed down, gently rubbing away the quickly drying blood. Already, a gooey scab was beginning to harden. I rinsed it off as well as I could, then stepped into my hot, steaming bath.

I was a disgrace. I called myself nin, yet I cared for nothing more at this moment in time but my hot bath. Had I been going on missions all my life, this would have been well justified as a privelige. Not me, not a Kawada. I proclaimed it my right, the comfort I wanted, I should have. I was a disgrace, but I was fine with it.

I watched… bright red blood seeped and diluted the water. Closing my eyes, I knew I could easily stay there… and bleed to death. A small cut, a perfect end to such a small life. Then, I opened my eyes. I knew that to die at my own hand was the worst I could do to myself. Stepping out of my bath, I dried myself off, applied gauze to the wound, then wrapped it up. I started to feel secure again. Finally, I allowed myself to draw a new bath and, this time keeping my arm out of it, allowed myself to truly relax and release all tension.

Then I had a delightful thought. Maybe I wasn't as far gone as I thought. Maybe I could redeem myself. I would keep that promise… Already, I had improved much over the two years we had parted with each other. Itachi-kun, we will meet again—this time of my own will!

I thought Alice was getting to me, but even then… I had to listen to my heart, and follow the path my mind made for it.

_Cold, but spring is coming. New missions, easier missions… What a bore._ Lazily, I thought mindless thoughts as I stared up into the clouds. I had not been assigned new missions, having just completed mine and the lower-ranks completing the menial ones. My purse was always half-full. I didn't mind, I didn't have anything to spend it on, merely giving some to my younger brother, for him to use when he was older. Who knew? He might need it. In any case, I never needed it. I had a frugal lifestyle, and prided myself on not mindlessly spending. I could live on the most rudimentary supplies, and so I did. Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to enter a state of sleep, still half-awake if anything was needed of me.

I don't know how much time passed, only that the clouds where in an entirely different position when I awoke… but not to my own making. My heart jumped, a light blush ran to my cheeks as I heard a phrase I longed to hear, from a voice I also much longed to hear-

"Hello."

I sat straight up, looked around to the old, disheveled tree—yes, the very tree from two years ago. On its sturdiest branch, a slender girl sat, gently swaying her legs back and forth, a sweet smile on her face. She was barefoot, but I saw her sandals in the grass. Ha, she had already made herself at home in my backyard. She may be only nine, but her distinct charm was present. I wondered what transformation she had wrought on herself, but it was great enough that she was still her, but entirely different from any of her past selves.

"Kawada Aika," her name escaped my lips, and was a pleasure to say. I was smiling as well, her calm, contented manner as contagious as the lighthearted feeling of summer.

It was her response that surprised me. "You always say the same thing when we meet. As a formality, Uchiha Itachi, salutations."

I grinned, not sure how to respond. Scanning her quickly and discreetly—I had much experience on the field, my old facial expression, an old, unhappy frown, appeared on my face. I noticed a clean bandage from her arm. Had I done that? How could I have done anything to her? I stepped forward, entranced, lightly touching her bandage.

Aika winced, and I drew back. She picked up her arm in her other hand, gently caressing the wound where I had brushed against. No, not yet… the wound had not healed just yet.

What agony… She must have faced. With a kinder face, I sat down next to her. Inquiring politely how she was. Answering back, she said, with a completely straight face, that I was too serious. This… I remembered well. I grinned and swept a fake blow against her—not that I could ever hurt her… I think that was when I first realized… I was in love with Aika. Her name was a love song to my heart. Brown eyes, staring at me, her brown eyes, were so deep I could see my reflected face against them. I faltered, not sure if she felt the same way towards me. With a light, teasing voice I asked the question that my hopes were now pinned to.

"_Ne, in this situation… should the boy kiss the girl?" For such a simple question, I half expected you to smile, joke your way around it. Never did I expect you would give me this tentative, yet still joking response._

"_It depends on if he wants too," You responded, and my response was my heart leaping to my throat, accompanied by a short, barking laugh and answer—_

"_Well, I kind of do," and I leaned over, half-pinning you to the trunk of the tree. Your brown eyes closed, and lightly, I bent forward. Turning my head, slightly there, bending in…_

_Well. Let us all say that the experience was wonderful. My heart was yours from that day on, Aika… Remember that… My heart was in your hands._

_After that, really, all the time we had we spent together, or tried to. You had your missions, I had my training… I poured my heart to you sometimes; you would pat me on the head, looking adorable. Sometimes… we'd just sit there… _

_I didn't tell you everything though… I wish I had; how much my wrist would hurt, that same place you touched. How much it would sear with pain, just around you… How, even though it wasn't broken, nothing damaged, it still hurt, again and again, and I wouldn't know why. I tried… to hide it from you. You knew… So why couldn't we talk about it. Itachi, if I had been more honest with you… would you have been more honest with me? Would you have told me the things you were planning?_

_Probably not._

_I would have laughed it off, saying 'don't scare me like that'. I know you didn't want to scare me… it just had to happen. And so it did. And so I couldn't do anything about it._

_I wish I had the guts to act… maybe I could have stopped you. If not… I would have gone with you._

My eleventh birthday… The day I don't want to remember and the day I never want to forget. We celebrated my advance into the 'older of society', or so he put it. The instant we saw each other, he gave me a rose- very romantic of him, considering most of the time he acted as the dry stone he was before we met. Rarely was he so… sweet. I was, of course, a bit suspicious. '_He's just being sweet because he was on a mission on my tenth birthday, and had to miss it. He's terribly sorry, and…'_ Such thoughts ran though my mind, but only for a moment because I was too quick to just think three simple words would be enough. I was a fool; how could I ever think that the three words '_He Loves Me'_ was the simplest, truest answer? How was I supposed to know that such a loving gift was out of guilt? I didn't…. and so he left me forever…

I remember that day, Sasuke-kun was still in the academy. He was upset, of course, that his Nii-chan wasn't teaching him as he should, that his father also neglected him. He felt that he had to fight for everything in the cold life of his… His mother's love? I was always shocked about how both Uchiha brothers shunned their mother. I never knew my mother, so why did they choose to shake off the eternal love that was surely theirs?

In any case, Sasuke was in the academy, and working hard. I would, from time to time, visit him secretly, unknown to others, and see how he was doing. By no means Itachi's level, but hard working all the same. I was very pleased to see that he too was quite the ladies man. I didn't blame those who swooned over him, though I must also admit it was a repulsive sight. His chubby face set with determination was the cutest I had ever seen, Itachi aside, of course.

That day in particular, I remember I was in a heaven of my own. It was the best birthday I had ever had, but my dad would not hear of my slinking off to 'who knows where' as he put it. (I had not told him about Itachi, if he knew I would be confined to my room until the ends of the earth itself). He insisted that I stay home, as with every birthday, and spend it with him. I do not blame him, for I had been very rude towards him the past few days, ignoring what he had to say and going out for hours at a time, and not just for Itachi, either. I was training as hard as ever, harder even, because I wanted to seem strong to Itachi. So, that day at five, I was already home. Looking out my window for the most part, I had no interest in anything going on. My father remained annoyingly persistent, asking me if I needed anything and so forth.

Later, it was late, at least eight, the sky black and alive with fireflies. Such a peaceful night, I recall, and yet a night that brought destruction on everyone. From my second story room (I had at that time moved out of my cousin's room and into a smaller room. The rooms were a Jack-and-Jill suite, so my cousin could still wreak havoc on my personal belongings and vice versa.) I heard a ping at my window. I was laying on my bed, staring dejectedly at my ceiling. At the noise, I rose and shuffled curiously to open the window.

_Plok._ A small pebble landed on my nose. I stuck my head out the window, looking around for the mysterious source of pebbles. Looking directly down, my heart fluttered as I saw Itachi. Locking my door and covering my bed to make it look as if I was sleeping, I slipped silently out my window, looking for him. He greeted me coolly, but I noticed his katana beside him, stained with the scent of blood. My smile quickly disappeared, and I questioned him with a hard intensity. He looked beyond me, mute. Sighing, I sat on the cool grass and motioned for him to do the same.

"I never explained some things to you, right? Yet you know I have these… abilities, right? Remember our spar, years before when I was still seven and you nine? My eyes, a violet color…. Right?" I probed his mind for memories, physically leaning on his shoulder. He remained silent, but I saw the slight nod. Sadly, I finally let go of my secret bloodline. I was the only one who could use it now, because Alice never bothered memorizing it, and with old age the ability nullifies. "It's called _Manako no Hiou, _Eye of Secrets. It can see the strengths of other bloodlines, but truly with practice a user can also figure out the weaknesses. I saw recently a new sparkle in your eyes, presumably the Sharingan. I realized you must have unlocked a new form of it. But… you mastered the Sharingan at eight! How could it be that you mastered it, yet just recently unlocked a new form? It had to be a secret version, hidden even within the Uchiha Clan. Then, if it was secret, why? My answer was that the price you had to pay for it would have been so great it was forbidden. And Itachi? Why did you go and pay that price?"

The stubborn goat remained silent. I shook my head, ruffling my short hair. Continuing, I began. "By researching everything I could get my hands on about the Sharingan, I still could not find the answer. So, I turned to my bloodline to see whether I could find what I really wanted. I began sinking even deeper into my training, concentrating on Hyuugas and Uchihas, who contained such bloodlines, to strengthen my own technique. I was shocked when I finally learned the truth about your new ability." I got up and walked over to the side of my house, sitting down on the porch and looking at him with my eyes, large and analytical. Taking a deep breath, I began to finalize my findings. "I still don't know the price you had to pay for whatever you have, nor do I know what it really does. Even in the end, I didn't, couldn't discover that in my bloodline. The weakness in my family isn't very supportive; there was no place to turn for guidance. However, I did realize a key weakness in your ability."

Itachi had walked over and sat next to me, and laid his head in my lap. In a burst of loose emotions, I cried out softly- "Itachi, I don't want you to loose your eyesight! Those are the dangers of using this dangerous technique! I don't want to only see you and not have you look at me! I couldn't bear it, no, I won't let yo-" My voice cut off, Itachi stopping it with a hand clamped over my mouth, a dangerous glint in his eye. I was crying, saddened but scared as well. He must have seen it inside my eyes; he had always said my eyes were the easiest place to read my emotions. He gentled his touch, but did not remove his hard, calloused hand. I tried to relax, my back against the siding of the floor, his eyes upon mine. Opening his mouth for the first time in what had seemed to be an era, he spoke with a dry, stoic voice. "It has begun." He started, "I have killed my clan. As presumed, I have also killed my best friend to obtain the Mangekyo Sharingan. The ability obtained allows me to use a most powerful genjutsu." He seemed to purr as he whispered in my ear, "Shall I demonstrate?"

Shaking my head vigorously, or as energetically as possible, with a hand over my mouth, I whimpered something. I sounded so weak then. He uncovered my mouth, and I whispered my deepest fear. "So… you're leaving now?" I knew it would not be possible if he wanted to stay, not that he would want something like that. Killing a clan, much less your own, is not a very accepted idea. Finishing off all ties… he was sure to leave. He stiffened, then nodded. "I'll find you one day." The words slipped out of my mouth suddenly, an solemn promise that I regretted speaking. He would be an S class nin at least, how was I ever to find him? I had always been weaker than he. He smiled, and looked at me with sudden, gentle eyes. "You can try." I growled, but he just laughed and hugged me tightly towards him. "I can stay until sunrise, then I must leave." I closed my eyes, which were wet from tears. Leaning against him, I whispered something, but already half-asleep from the comfort of his hold. "I love you."

He woke me suddenly, and I was still rubbing the heavy sands of sleep out of my eyes when he motioned to the rising sun. Stating gently that he had to leave, he got up and closed his eyes. I woke suddenly, sadness filling my face. When he opened his eyes, a red glare stood out at me. Suddenly, he was at my side once more, and he kissed me. I raised a hand to my mouth. It was my first _real_ kiss. His fixed look stared into my eyes. In an instant, the world around me went negative, and I started to whimper like an old dog. I felt weak and vulnerable, and was powerless to feel otherwise. His clear, soft voice filled my mind as he turned to leave me forever. "Remember the night of my departure for 24 hours. By that time, Aika, I will be already gone." I was warped back into the moment of his arrival at my house when he left Konoha and me. I wailed as I watched the memories of that night slowly begin to etch themselves into my mind. No matter what, my birthday would never be something to forget.

**So there you have it, the blood, sweat, and tears, the fruit of all that labor for the past year (Ish?) I got the inspiration for this when my narutard buddy began pressuring me to like Naruto. I typed this to get rid of the mind and soul of this popular anime because frankly, Itachi died and I didn't like that. But, when I typed this, I realized all the great things I could do now as a writer because of all the books I've read as a reader. I hope the story was easy to follow, even though when I read it, nothing right or wrong is distinguishable. I am surprised, because originally I was going to make this one long oneshot, but gradually, I realized it was two separate stories, how this character, Aika (Which, by the way, means Love Song, if you were wondering), came to meet and fall in love with Itachi, and how later she would…. Oops, spoiler! I **_**am**_** making a sequel, if anyone would be interested, and if you like that one and not this one, I'd be delighted to know why. Grammatical errors are probably going untouched because I worked so hard on this and the fluency of it seemed all right to me. I would love to have a beta, and if you wanted to beta read anything else, please PM me! ." **

**-shakes fist- Argh, I hope my writing inspires people! I am so tired right now, but I can gladly say it was worth it. Click the review button please, and feel free to rant and rave about anything at all, if you liked it/ didn't like it… Flames would bring a great criticism to my writing, and I will try to improve from them! ~JuniperScaymoore.**


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